


She'll Be Better Off Left Alone

by Ithinkwehaveanemergency



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, College Student Michelle Jones, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Getting Back Together, Infinity War happened and everyone is alive, Peter Parker is an Avenger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 14:59:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11808342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/pseuds/Ithinkwehaveanemergency
Summary: Michelle is alone at university.  Except she's not.  Because these damned Avengers keep popping up out of nowhere.Or, five times MJ is visited at NYU by an avenger, plus the one time she goes to visit the one avenger whom she was dating up until she started college.  And he didn't.





	She'll Be Better Off Left Alone

**Author's Note:**

> "I know you're watching all my moves  
> I do believe I'm leaving you" - Repeat, by Allan Rayman & Jessie Reyez

**ONE**

Michelle had been at NYU for less than a week when she had her first visit from an avenger.

Tony Stark was lounging in the jumbo beanbag chair in her single room when she got back from her first day of classes.

There was a To-Go bag from Ippudo on her desk, and Tony was flipping through channels on a flat screen TV that _hadn't_ been on her wall when she left for class that day.

"Is that pork-based?" Michelle threw her her keys on the bed and walked over to the takeout bag.

"You wound me, MJ." Tony splayed a hand across his chest dramatically. "I would never give you food made with pigs feet."

"Damn," Michelle sighed, "I stopped being a vegetarian last month, and that sounded amazing."

She threw herself face first onto the bed, exhausted from the excitement of her first day of college.

"Gotta give me credit for remembering through." Tony shrugged, flipping through the channels on what was _apparently_ her brand new tv.

"This is just unnecessary. I don't need a tv. I didn't even need _housing_ , and you got my family to think it was included in my scholarship, and not a donation." Michelle sat up in a huff. "You're making me feel like I didn't even deserve to be here, and I'm just a spoiled rich kid like everyone else in this fucking complex. Do you know how hard it'll be to be taken seriously when I bring people back to my room?"

That made Tony sit up straight and face her.

"Who are you planning on bringing back to your dorm, MJ?" Tony squinted at her with a protective gleam in his eye, ignoring absolutely _everything else_ she said.

"Not _like that_ , Mr. Stark." MJ rolled her eyes and walked over to the food again, taking it all out and setting it up along the large work desk. "But he doesn't _own_ me. So, I could if I wanted to." Michelle shrugged.

Tony let out a quiet 'ha' and leaned back in the jumbo beanbag he _hadn't_ bought for her - thank you very much - and went back to watching the newest episode of Criminal Minds.

"You won't." He muttered smugly.

Michelle threw a shishito at him.

**TWO**

Bruce Banner is a bit different that Tony Stark, in the way that he has _fucking boundaries_.

He texted her the second Saturday into her quarter and (for the most part) was not creepy in the least.

_Green Guy: I'm on NYU campus. Want to grab coffee?_

_MJ: Were you already here, or did you come to be nosy?_

_Green Guy: Neither. It's fine. I'll leave._

_MJ: Don't be stupid. Grab me a double americano from the coffee cart and come to my room. Don't get recognized. I have a rep to protect._

_Green Guy: *Green Face Emoji*_

Michelle can't help but smile when someone like Bruce Banner uses lame emojis.

He knocked on her door like a civil human being before entering.

They made small talk about the other avengers and his latest research at Stark Industries. When he asked how she was enjoying NYU, she responded with: "It's no Cornell" and that started them down a road of 'why didn't you tell me you wanted to go there' and 'I lecture there' and 'why would they reject you, Madeline in admissions is such a...' and Michelle hadn't felt like she had a friend in her corner like that in a long time.

She explained that it hadn't really been a big deal, but she didn't get rejected, but the scholarship wasn't nearly enough for her to be able to afford it.

Dr. Banner just hummed and nodded.

He didn't even make an attempt to pry into her social life or ask about her contact with the other members of the team.

He leaves with an open offer to help her in any classes or research that she might want his assistance.

_"Dr. Banner, you don't even know what my major is, do you?_

Michelle laughed about the blush on his face for an hour after he left, but the warmth his visit caused stayed with her for the rest of the weekend.

**THREE**

Her next visit was in late October.

Michelle hadn't made many friends. _Absolutely no one called her MJ._ But the season had turned, and school had kept her swamped with work. She was happy.

Usually.

"Watch where you're going." A gruff toneless voice barked down at her.

Michelle sat on the ground, books spilled around her and raised her angry gaze to the large, rude, brick wall of a man standing above her, only to sigh when she recognized the hoodie covered metal arm and shaggy mane.

"Have you been following me?" Michelle grumbled, not expecting an answer, as a barely identifiable James Barnes picked up the last of her books for her.

"Yes." He deadpanned.

"Then why the _fuck_ did you knock me down." Michelle seethed, marching past him toward her next class.

"You need to stay alert, MJ." The voice was practically in her ear and almost caused another catastrophic tumble of literature onto the pavement. "We aren't always around to watch your back for you." The voice hissed, angrily.

Michelle stopped in her tracks, and felt Bucky stop himself nanoseconds before he crashed into her. His body was so close she could feel the heat from his breath near her temple.

Without turning, she grunted a response under her breath that she knew he'd hear.

"I don't care _what_ he asked you to do. I do _**not**_ need a babysitter."

James huffed, "He said you'd say that."

She felt the cold behind her instantly, and knew he was gone. She kept walking toward her dorm without looking back.

When she made it back to her dorm, she saw a tiny gift bag with maple leaves and a pumpkin on it.

The card tied to the bag said, 'From: Steve, Sam, & -' with the final name on the card scratched out ferociously. The contents of the bag were a practical cold-weather off-white beanie, and a pair of matching gloves.

Michelle wore the beanie the next day to class, despite the weather being not-nearly cold enough to warrant it.

**FOUR**

She didn't need to wait long for the next Avenger to grace her with their presence.

It was Halloween, and a Monday. Michelle had just gotten back from spending the weekend with her family.

A knock sounded on her door and she yelled at it, thinking it was her neighbors, who while she had grown close to, she was not at all down to go out partying with.

"I don't celebrate hallmark holidays, guys. Go away."

She continued to type up her poly-sci essay when she heard the lock turning on her door and lunged for the taser (c/o Stark Industries) taped under her bed.

When she turned to the door, aimed to shoot, she found Natasha Romanov, dressed like Carol Danvers.

"Y'know," Natasha mused, closing the door behind her, "I feel like I get hit on more in this costume than I do dressed as myself." She jumped onto Michelle's bed, stretching out with her red gloved hand propping her head up to frown at Michelle. "I'm strangely not insulted by that."

"Dude." Michelle exhaled and put her arms down from their attack mode. "You scared the shit outta me."

"Nice reflexes." Natasha nodded. "Buck was wrong about needing an eye kept on you." She pulled out her phone and started typing something as she commended Michelle for her readiness. "He told me you couldn't even walk to class without bumping into someone and falling on your face."

Michelle rolled her eyes and sat back down at her desk.

Natasha finished typing at looked up at her again. "Nice hat." She smirked.

Michelle went to feel her head and remembered she was wearing the comfy beanie than had appeared in her dorm when James came to visit.

"Any reason you're here in particular?" Michelle asked nonchalantly, turning back to her essay.

"Peter." Natasha spat out, like it was nothing. She went back to typing on her phone.

Michelle whipped her head toward the gorgeous, intimidating _\- though the cheapish knockoff costume really took it down a notch -_ woman on her bed, and waited for her to expand on her explanation.

"He's so whiny." Natasha sighed, grabbing a Snickers from the bucket of candy on Michelle's desk. "He won't come see you, but he won't stop asking about you either."

Michelle choked on air briefly.

"It's pretty lame if you ask me." Natasha grumbled through a mouthful of candy, still not looking up from her phone.

Michelle had had enough. The random unwarranted visits needed to stop.

"Then why do you keep coming here?!" Michelle yelled, uncharacteristically, flailing her hands about in a very 'Peter Parker' manner. "Why do you care? I'm the one that hurt Peter. I'm the one who broke up with him. Why does he still care?" Her chest heaved with anxiety and her eyes desperately searched the woman across from her's to find an answer to a question that had plagued her for weeks.

Natasha looked up then and smiled. She sat up from the bed and crossed the room with two steps to stand in front of Michelle.

"You're family, MJ." Natasha pushed a stray clump of unruly hair behind Michelle's ear and bent down to kiss her on the forehead before walking to the door again to leave. She paused with her hand on the door knob and turned back to grin at Michelle. "We come by because we love you, and we want to see how you are." She dropped her smile before her parting words. "He does too. You just don't see him."

Captain-Marvel-costume-clad-Black-Widow is gone before she can ask what she means.

**FIVE**

Tony came back.

Michelle jumped this time when she walked into her room, because Tony sat at her desk, reading one of her essays, on the computer that she _swore_ she locked before leaving for class.

Oh, and Happy was asleep on the beanbag.

"Great stuff." Tony mused, not even acknowledging her as she shut the door behind her. Happy didn't stir either.

"You an expert on abstract expressionism suddenly?" She teased, sitting down on the far end of her large work desk.

Tony stared at her, raising an eyebrow at her casual acceptance of his unrequested and intruding presence in her room.

"You're happy." Tony stated, without making it a question. Happy jolted up from his nap with a snort. Tony glared at him. "Go wait in the car, Happy."

Happy struggled out of the chair with a huff and walked out, leaving the door cracked behind him.

"Yeah." Michelle shrugged. "I'm busy. I'm challenged. I'm being torn from all sides by the classes I've suicidally enrolled myself in." Michelle fixed him with a sad, serious stare. "But I could have done all of that with him by my side."

Tony stared back. He frowned a bit before he stood up and stepped toward her. He gripped her shoulder and looked away.

"I know, kid." Tony sighed. "But have you told _him_ that?" He patted her shoulder a couple times and walked to the door. He turned to look at her once more before leaving. "Happy left you some takeout in your minifridge. Have a good Thanksgiving, MJ."

He shut the door behind him and Michelle shook her head.

"Fucking avengers..." She grumbled, "... always needing to make a dramatic statement before they leave."

She walked to her fridge and saw a card with 'you're invited' in gold writing on the envelope.

**+1**

Michelle is probably wearing a hole in the carpet with her pacing, but she can't be bothered to care.

Plus, Tony Stark can afford to get some carpet replaced.

The knot in her stomach has been steadily growing since she arrived at the upstate compound.

"C'mon, Michelle." She whispers to herself. "You got this. It's just Peter."

She groans and throws herself on the bed, not caring if she's wrinkling the new dress she's got on.

She felt silly buying a new dress for a stupid _'Avengers Thanksgiving Bash'_ , as the invitation called it, but she felt the need to look good for her first first time seeing Peter in months.

The party rages in the press room, as the Avengers and other members of the staff fill up on ham and pie and alcohol of the most expensive variety.

Peter went out on a quick mission to downtown with Sam and Cap, but when they returned, Sam stalked to his room bitterly, and Steve explained that Sam refused to fly him back after Peter may have 'accidentally' webbed him in the face after the fight was over and they were finishing up rescuing hostages.

Tony sent a suit to get him a few minutes ago, and Michelle went to wait in his room, knowing he'd come to shower and change.

Michelle hears the door crack open and jolts to sit up.

Peter walks in, mask in hand, and stares at her as the door closes behind him.

Michelle exhales, feeling an unexpected burst of relief at seeing his face, in person, in front of her, less than 10 feet away.

Peter just stares. No shock, no anger, nothing. He just stares back at her, as if he has no intention of moving for the foreseeable future.

His hair is short. It looks weird, but at least it's not matted to his head as it would often get when she had the mask on for a long time. He looks like he hasn't shaved in a couple days, which is barely noticeable, but she's spent enough time with him that she can tell.

He's beautiful. And it hurts to keep looking at him, so she quickly closes the distance between them and throws her arms around his shoulders and hunches over to bury her face in his neck. He wraps his arms tightly around her waist and she sags into it, letting him hold her up.

"I'm sorry." Michelle exhales into his skin. "I'm so sorry, Peter."

"I know, MJ. You don't need to be." Peter whispers and grabs her waist to push her away from his body. He looks her up and down and frowns. He pushes on his chest and his suit falls off easily, leaving him in his underarmor. He looks up at her and shrugged. "I didn't want to get you dirty. You look too pretty."

Michelle chokes out a laugh at that, eyes watering traitorously.

"MJ," Peter smiles, "You're here." He reaches out again to pull her closer, one hand on their small of her back, the other reaching out to push a smooth strand of hair out of her face and then pausing to stick a hand in her unnaturally straight locks. He furrows his brow at the way his hand slides through them. "And your hair looks funny."

Michelle's barks out a loud, ugly laugh at that and blushes. In addition to purchasing the silky new dress, she had gotten her hair cut and blown out to be pin straight, wanting to look perfect for this moment. She feels silly again, because she sound have known that Peter wouldn't be impressed. He always loved her curly hair.

"You're one to talk!" Michelle cards her fingers through his barely two inch long hair, dragging a hand down to the nape of his neck, where the hair faded away to nothing. She instantly misses his long hair as she recalls having the ability to grip the hair behind his head and drag him into a kiss.

"I'm so glad you came." He sighs, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Peter, I'm so sorry for making you choose between being an Avenger and going to college in order to be with me." Michelle rushes out in one breath, eyes shut tight, forehead still pressed against his. Shes gripping his hips so hard she wonders if it hurts, but she can't lose him again. "I'm so stupid. It's your right to choose. It's not my right to hold ultimatums over something so important to you."

"Michelle, no." Peter grabs her face with both hands, "I get it. I know you're scared. May is the same way. In fact, shes still so mad she texts me every few days to tell me so. And yeah, we were both mad and said some stupid things, but everything's okay." Peter sighs with a smile. "You're okay. You've looked so happy."

Michelle grabs his wrists at that.

"Yeah, I've heard you've been a creeper." Michelle turned up the corner of her mouth slightly. "One of your little spies told me you've been to visit me."

"Spies?" Peter's eyebrows raise as he sputters, "I swear I didn't tell James and Tony to go there. I specifically told them that you'd be very mad."

"Really?" Michelle doesn't bother to hide her shock. "You never sent anyone to come see me?"

"No! I know you can take care of yourself, MJ."

Michelle smiles sadly and wraps her arms around his bare torso. "I shouldn't have been so stubborn. I shouldn't have waited so long to apologize." She plants a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. "If you take me back, Peter Parker, I promise I will support you dangerous decisions as an Avenger, and _ridiculous_ decision to defer for a year as a student." She kisses the other corner of his mouth and looks him in the eye. "I will be proud of the amazing human-being you are, no matter what you choose to do. I trust you Peter. I believe in you."

Peter grins at her and kisses her hard. Hands tangling in her hair, just because he can.

He kisses her until she's out of breath and the lightness in her head is less from lack of oxygen and more from extreme relief of finally having his lips on hers again.

"If _you_ take _me_ back, Michelle Jones," he chuckles, lips still grazing hers lightly, pausing to kiss her every few words, "I will never do anything to make you break up with me again. So, I hope you know what you're getting into." He smiles against her mouth. 

Michelle shakes her head and pulls away to mock frown.

"Is that a threat, Spiderman?"

"It's a promise, MJ."

Peter hugs her close and lays his head on her shoulder.

"Peter?" She whispers.

"Mmm?"

"You smell."

"Fine." Peter chuckles, and lifts his head to kiss her cheek before reluctantly detangling their bodies. "I'll shower and we can go catch the rest of the party." He smooths out her hair that he had mussed up while they were kissing. "Stay? After the party?"

"Only if you promise that Vision won't walk in like last time."

Michelle pats him on the butt a couple times, urging him toward the shower. "And only if you come to my dorm afterwards so I can show you around, and we can talk about how we're gonna make this _living-half-a-state-away_ thing work."

Peter stops at his dresser to fish out clean socks and underwear, and then grabs a thick magazine off the top of his dresser.

"Maybe we won't have to." Peter shrugs, tossing the magazine and an envelope and packet of papers onto the bed, before shutting himself in the bathroom.

Michelle reaches over to pick up the Cornell Winter Course Catalog he threw on the bed, and has to cover her mouth to stop from letting out an uncharacteristic squeal. She rolls her eyes, and makes a note to get very angry later, but silently thanks Bruce and Tony when she reads the first line of the letter.

_Dear Mr. Stark,_

_We are pleased to approve and instate the Stark Industries sponsored scholarship fund of $650,000 per year for 10 years, for children from low-income families, under the condition of the immediate enrollment and full scholarship of the Stark Industries nominees, Peter Parker, and Michelle Jones._

**Author's Note:**

> My first 5 + 1. Pretty stoked. It's pretty plotless and mostly just self-indulgent mush. I love it.


End file.
